John Prescott writes:
Today the Greek people will discover their fate. Like a
child in a playground their country has been picked on by bullies wanting their
dinner money.
In last week’s referendum, after suffering five years of
austerity forced on them by previous conservative governments and greedy
European bankers, they stood up and said No.
The bullying bankers, the
European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central
Bank have finally realised they couldn’t scare the Greeks into delivering the
Yes vote they wanted.
When a country produced 300
Spartans to take on 100,000 Persian warriors, I suppose sticking two fingers up
at Angela Merkel, John-Claude Juncker and German bankers was a bit of a
pushover.
Their attempt to force their rules and regulations on one
of the smallest states in the EU community was always a disaster waiting to
happen.
The smaller countries have long
feared France and Germany, the two big power blocks, would dominate and push
for their vision of a United States of Europe.
I remember many European countries
begging Britain to stay in the Common Market to dilute the power of the French
and Germans.
That desire for a United Europe
is strong in European nations because of their experience of two world wars
that split the continent.
Greece has had more than
its share of difficulties, economically, politically and military.
It’s had lousy governments who
have mismanaged its affairs.
The referendum proved that while
they still want to stay in the European Union they won’t accept membership at
any price.
Europe’s bankers and politicians insist on even greater austerity.
But if they want to keep the European project going, they’re going to have to
change.
The International Monetary Fund is
ready to help and even the OECD is making clear that it is possible to lengthen
the repayment conditions and write-offs of some of its massive debts.
Debts
that weren’t caused by the Greek public.
And it’s a bit rich of France and
Germany to preach to others about financial discipline when they both ignored
the EU’s Growth and Stability Pact or ran a surplus.
Nobody called on them to
put their finances in order.
Which makes me think, thank Gord we didn’t join
the Euro.
Gordon Brown in Cabinet and Parliament set five economic tests that
had to be met before we joined.
Tony was prepared to stand down earlier as PM if Britain could join the
euro. But Brown was having none of it. I backed Gordon’s view.
As events have
shown, he was absolutely right.
He was right about the problems with the euro and his
economic rescue plan during the 2008 financial crisis prevented a global depression.
A crisis caused by the very bankers who preach to Greece.
In defying the bankers, France
and Germany, the Greek people speak for everyone in Europe fighting for fairness
and social justice.
The spirit of the Spartans lives on.
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